Dental plaque is considered as the cause of dental caries and paradental diseases in the dental treating and hygienic fields, and also for massaging gums.
As well known, a tooth brush has been used conventionally as the typical implement of this sort, in general. Said plaque starts first from deposition of a thin film essentially comprising protein and carbohydrate over the surface of enamel of tooth, to which then oral bacteria are attached and proliferated to form the plaque which consists mainly of bacteria and the metabolic products thereof. Said plaque can be removed from the major surface area of teeth by brushing after every meal but there are the parts where the effect of brushing cannot reach and where plaque is accumulated. Plaque not only becomes the direct cause of dental caries and inflammations of gums, but when calcification progresses, it turns into dental calculus and is deposited further firmly. And moreover, since said plaque and dental calculus are considered to be one cause of the onset and exacerbation of alveolar blennorrhea, a paradental disease, complete healing from which is quite difficult, with the view of dental hygiene, removal of plaque has a quite significant meaning.
As the implements for removing the plaque deposited interdental or cervical parts, on the other hand, such a tooth pick-like implement made of wood and having a thickness capable of being inserted between teeth (FIG. 1), a linear synthetic filament or an implement with a bow-like section where the filament is stretched (FIG. 2), or a tooth brush with a conical projection of rubber with a pointed tip provided at the end of the rod (FIG. 3) have been put on market, and the patients who visit dentists are instructed to remove plaque by rubbing daily the interdental and cervical parts by using such implements.
However the wooden tooth pick-like impelement has not a sufficient strength at the tip for rubbing the narrow interdental parts, and if the strength be increased by thickening the tip, it cannot be applied for the narrow interdental part. On the other hand, the method of rubbing the interdental parts by use of the thread-like synthetic filament with the fingers of both hands has difficulty in spreading widely because of the troublesome handling, and the implement with the section where the filament is stretched requires a skill to effect satisfactory rubbing with it, and it cannot be said a satisfactory implement for removing plaque correctly. On the other hand, it is a matter of course that the rubber projection at the end of tooth brush has a difficulty in rubbing with it the narrow interdental part, and both of these implements are unsatisfactory as the implement for removing plaque. Thus the appearance of an implement with which removal of plaque can readily be effected daily by the patient himself has been anticipated.